


We'll Meet Again

by Sofronia



Category: One Piece
Genre: After Two Year Time Skip, Also Usopp loves making you blush, Bonding with a Skeletal Soul King, Broken Heart Syndrome, Comfort, F/M, Flashbacks, Franky is a bro and we all love him for it, Friendship, I'll stop tagging now, Nami really wishes you wouldn't say SUPER, Oh yes, Reader and Usopp are best buddies and kinda in a relationship, Reunited and It Feels So Good, Sanji and Brook think you're ready, Sniper King is gonna hit that target all night long, There will be sexy times had but not in this story, Zoro actually got to Sabaody first, okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-29
Updated: 2015-08-01
Packaged: 2018-04-11 21:43:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4453475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sofronia/pseuds/Sofronia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It doesn't matter that three days became two years, because no amount of time could cut down bonds so strong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Two years is enough time for many things to take place.

One can learn new skills that they had never given much thought to before, while others can question the reality around them and form a thesis on how the world actually works. Storms of biblical size can ravage lands and waters, sweeping away the lives of its' inhabitants and leaving behind a new canvas to be painted upon. People can fall in and out of love, enemies can become friends, the world can even shift on its own axis and there is no stopping such changes. No one person can stay the exact same during that time period, and furthermore; Who would want to?

Two years.

One hundred and four weeks.

Seven hundred and thirty days.

That's all the time in the world to either build up the defenses that came crashing down and train your entirety, or give in to the weight of progression and crumble. Two things are for certain though; You can still see the sky and the sea is still moving. 

 

**{ Sabaody Park }**

 

"God, it's like this place didn't even change." Fingers reaching out into the air, you gently brushed the pad of your tips against the slick, soapy bubble and chuckled, the deep-rooted nostalgia springing to the surface once more. The last time they were all together...so many memories came to your mind, but one in particular brought a wide grin to your face.

 

**{ Flashback }**

 

_"Brat, what in the hell are you going to do with a **bubble**?"_

_Rolling your eyes at the swordsman, you grasped a large, floating bubble between your fingertips and smiled, showing it to him. "I'm sorry, spearmint; I didn't hear you correctly. What'd you say?"_

_Zoro glared down at you, knowing damn well when you were egging him on for the sake of a joke, but what could you possibly do? It was just a **bubble**. Preparing himself for whatever lame stunt you were about to pull, he repeated himself through gritted teeth._

_"I said; What in the hell are you going to do wi—?"_

_Right as he was about to finish his question, you quickly popped your head into the bubble and giggled, amused at the look of utter exasperation painted across his features. Bringing a hand to your head, you feigned ignorance and urged him on. "Come again, buddy? Still didn't catch that!"_

_Having enough of your malarkey, Zoro drew one of his swords and popped the bubble with the tip, lips curling into a smirk when the soapy substance splashed on your cheeks. You growled and smacked the flat of the blade, instantly regretting it as your fellow crew mate drew it up, as if to cut you. With an indignant squeak, you ran across one of the bridges throughout Sabaody with the man hot on your heels; the usual empty threats of slicing you to bits and forcing the cook to serve you with rice and soy sauce for dinner. You laughed wholeheartedly, folks in the streets giving the two of you odd looks as you ran, only to spot a familiar figure in the distance._

_"Come here, you dimwitted seamstress! You're gonna need to stitch yourself back together when I'm done with you!"_

_Feeling the cold, pointy depths of Hell on your neck, you shrieked and picked up speed, grabbing the innocent Sanji and spinning him around to take the brunt of Zoro's murderous intent. By which, the samurai ran full-force into the cook while you dove into one of the many shops lining the streets to hide. Oh, yes, you were definitely going to be in trouble by the time both both of them found you, but what's a little mischief between crew members here and there?_

_Tucked away behind a few rows of clothing, you covered your mouth as the yelling of your friends could be heard, overzealous giggles at the edge of your lips. When the two finally began to disperse, you peeked your head over the racks and grinned, a sigh of relief leaving your mouth. "Aw man. I swear, those two make it so easy to get a cheap laugh."_

_"What in the world are you doing now?"_

_Another indignant squeak left your lips, followed by frantic jump that caused you to trip over your own two feet at the sudden familiar voice. Glaring up at the other, you were met with Usopp practically doubled over in laughter, causing you to growl in frustration. Leave it to him to come out of nowhere and make your heart leap into your throat._

_"Shut up, you idjit! Damn near gave me a heart attack!"_

_He was still laughing as you huffed and curled up childishly in the floor, adamantly ignoring the amused smiles and chuckles from a few patrons in the store. When he was **finally** done pissing himself over your jumpy nerves, he shook his head and helped you up. "Yeah, that coming from the one with a weak heart. Serves you right for getting them riled up, not that it even takes that much."_

_You stuck out your tongue at his statement and dusted a bit of imaginary dirt from your pants. "Oh, please. You're the same way and you know it. If I plucked your nose right now, you'd be ready to commit homicide."_

_A cease appeared in between his eyebrows at your claim. "Look who's talking with those cheeks, **chipmunk**."_

_Practically swelling with instantaneous anger, you glared at his smug expression and crossed your arms._

_"Great Captain Usopp? Yeah right, more like Long-nose the Liar. Telling tales as long and ridiculous as the twig on your face." Okay, sure, that was a little mean, but he knew how sensitive you were about your cheeks. People often thought you younger than you were, not to mention it was hard to get them to take you seriously at times. Brat, kid, lil' sis, champ, etc. You seriously hated your cheeks._

_However, as those words passed your lips, the sniper was quick to egg on the beginnings of an argument._

_"I'm sorry, **sweet cheeks** , I couldn't hear you from down there. Your voice keeps cracking. Jeez, puberty must be tough on you."_

_"Well, if your ears stuck out as much as your nose, we wouldn't be having this problem, would we?"_

_"Don't you have some acorns to stuff in your mouth!?"_

_"Don't you have a tree trunk to go **peck**!?"_

_The both of you were pressed chest to chest, glaring harshly at each other as you bickered back and forth, much like children. It wasn't a wholehearted fight though. No, the both of you had a habit of puffing the other up with silly insults and taunts, but it always ended the same way. Sighing, you started laughing and pushed him away from you, rolling your eyes with a snort. In return, Usopp pinched your cheek softly and chuckled, nudging you in the direction of the exit._

_"You're such a pain sometimes."_

_Hip bumping him, you took another bubble from the air and pushed it on the tip of his nose, running away immediately. "Yep, and you love it!"_

_"H-hey! Get back here, damnit!"_

 

**{ End Flashback }**

 

Fresh tears brimmed at your eyelashes as the memory played over in your mind, the smile still there. Looking down at your hand, the soapy residue was quickly dying up again. 

"Jeeze, pull it together, chica. I should try and find some of them first. Pft, Zoro's old ass is probably going to be the last one here!" 

With a bit more of a cheery attitude, you wiped away the moisture from your eyes and took off in a sprint. It was a new day and you weren't going to let anything stress you out. Soon enough, the Straw Hat Pirates would be reunited, and anyone who had any agenda to stop that was getting a mouthful of your double-bladed scythe. You had waited too long, trained too hard and cried too many tears to let anything stop you now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, some cold water for the burn left on your heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lyrics quoted in this are from a beautiful song by Boney James feat. Stokley called "Either Way". In the next chapter, we get a peek into the reader's Broken Heart Syndrome, and everyone gets to see each other again.
> 
> This was fun to write.

“Damnit, woman! It’s been two years; **hug** me, don’t **pinch** my cheeks!” You flailed your arms about as a certain tangerine topped female squeezed your face, a giant smile etched across her own at your childish reaction. 

“Who would have thought that you’d actually grow out of that baby face of yours? Still, there’s just enough left to pinch!”

Nami let go and laughed at your grumbling, only to pull you into a long-awaited hug. Though it had been quite awhile, she still towered over your form by a few inches; just enough for you to still be suffocated by her ample chest. Sure, you couldn’t breathe properly, but it was something to welcome with open arms; unable to help a bit of sniffling as the moment overwhelmed your feelings. At many times during those two years, you had found yourself happily reminiscing, only to fall to tears over the lengthy loss of your friends. It almost felt like yesterday that she was fussing at you for looking at her treasure with your hands, instead of your eyes. 

“Hmm? Come on, don’t cry!” Cupping your slightly warm cheeks, she wiped away a few tears that managed to spill and ruffled the mop of your hair tenderly. “We’re all gonna be back together soon, okay? I bet I know who you’ve been _dying_ to see too.”

With a roll of your eyes, you stepped back and examined the few bubble bags of clothing she had already procured, snorting. “Still a fiend for a good deal, aye? I feel bad for whatever poor soul that just got jipped out of fifty percent of their sell price.” 

“Well, I didn’t have you around to make clothes anymore, so I had to sharpen my skills, you know? Which reminds me, I love the new look. Never pegged you as one for jewelry, but you were only fifteen the last time we saw each other.” Taking your wrist in her hand, she examined the several, silver bracelets that lined them; a gentle sigh leaving her lips. “You’re not wearing these beca‒?”

“No. The bruising from the handcuffs is long gone and I stopped being embarrassed awhile ago; I just like silver!” 

“Good. Come on, I’m betting Franky is already there. Wonder if he changed any too?”

You grinned and followed alongside her, absolutely giddy with anticipation. “Yeah, I bet he made some _SUPER_ changes!”

Stopping in her tracks, Nami deadpanned at your poor attempt at being funny. “You have **got** to be kidding me! I can’t believe you actually said that! Your sense of humor hasn’t gotten any better, that’s for sure!”

“Sounds like someone’s _SUPER_ sore that she’s not funny!”

“That’s it!” Squeaking at the ominous aura radiating from your crew mate, you broke out into another heated sprint and did nothing but laugh the whole way, shouting puns and bad jokes as Nami continued to threaten your well-being. It would never fail; your humor used to drive her up a wall when you first began to know each other. Between you, Brook and Franky, she was certain that her death was going to come in the form of madness or honorable suicide. Even now, it was more along the lines of a welcoming déjà vu as she threatened to electrocute you straight to the bones.

“Brook would appreciate that, because he’s a skeleton, you see?!”

You broke into a sweat as the itch of death was soon upon you. Turning sharply on your heel, you raised your hands in defeat and gave the woman a large set of pitiful puppy eyes, causing her to groan and gently thump your forehead with her knuckle. “You’re such a brat. Come on, I need a drink after spending three minutes with you.”

Shaking your head, you hooked your thumb in the opposite direction. “Actually, you go on ahead; I’ll catch up later. I wanna check out some of those sweets they had on display.”

“Alright, just be careful. We don’t know if the marines know we’re here or not yet, so we might need to lie low until we’re gone." 

Waving your arm nonchalantly, you began walking away, leaving your crew mate with a smile on her lips. 

“She’s such a kid…”

 

**{ Some Time Later }**

 

“Actual…bubblegum? Maybe Chopper will like this. Well, provided it doesn’t get stuck in his fur.” 

Handing over a bit of cash for the three packs of candy, you turned away from the vendor and tossed them into the satchel slung over your shoulder. That part of your task done, you continued down the grove and nibbled idly on a sweet bun, simply taking in the scenery around you. There were posters up of a certain skeletal Soul King you spent many nights harmonizing with those ages ago, and you were proud of him for becoming the huge star that he was. His skills with melodies was always something to be admitted.

 

**{ Flashback }**

 

_It wasn't uncommon for sleepless nights to occur when traveling along a ship, but it could certainly be a pain to get past. On this night, you sat upon the grassy deck with an agitated crease between your eyebrows, unable to soothe the dull ache of exhaustion edging behind your eyelids. The skies were clear, aside from a few clouds eclipsing the illuminating moon and casting shadows; the sea docile in its rocking of Sunny. Almost everyone else had retired for the evening; leaving you and a certain statuesque pirate to the silence of the night._

_”Hey, Soul Bones, you got a second? I kinda can’t sleep and could use some smooth grooving to send me off.”_

_Raising up from his seat upon the railing, Brook clutched his chest at your words and came over to take a seat upon the ground, empty sockets focused on your face. “And who am I to deny such a beautiful request! What would our matryoshka like to hear?"_

_With an inquisitive hum, you rolled onto your side and let your head rest against his leg, eyes drifting shut at the gentle lull of the waters against the ship. “Hmm…remember that one song we were working on a few nights ago? I’m sure you can play it on your violin. My harmonica isn’t looking too good these days.”_

_Long, pale bones brushed the crown of your head gently before taking up the instrument, starting the both of you off. As the soothing melody curled around both of you, drifting pleasantly about Sunny, you began your intro with a soft tone. “Never felt this way; like I am paralyzed, but I can’t stay like this forever~. You’re pulling on my heartstrings, any way you want~…Are we in or are we out all together~? You need to tell me either way~.”_

_It was long after your verses had ended that you had fallen sleep, the musician continuing the soft notes until he was sure you were deep into your slumber. Carefully, he gathered you into one of his arms and went below the deck, humming softly the tune of your joint composing to ensure you stayed asleep._

 

**{ End Flashback }**

 

With a slightly glazed expression, lost in memories and anticipation, you mumbled to yourself as you ventured around the corner. “I wonder if he ever played that during one of his con‒Oomph!”

“Augh! Crap, I’m sorry about that! Are you…?”

Rubbing your poor forehead, you looked up at the person you had managed to walk straight into and felt your grin practically split your face in half. It was pretty damn hard to mistake that face for anyone else besides your sniper of a friend, though you could do without feeling so short compared to him. It would seem that he recognized you as well because in the next second, you were lifted off the ground into a crushing hug, gladly reciprocating.

“God, I couldn’t tell for a second; it is you! Usually, those cheeks of yours are the very first thing to give you away!” 

You laughed wholeheartedly and wrapped your arms around his shoulders, squeezing as every ounce of anxiousness was zapped from your form. “Aw, shove it, Bird Beak! Only damn thing different about you is this thicket of hair you got going on. Now, put me down. I hate being picked up and you know it.”

Being placed back down on the ground, Usopp scoffed at the comment and pointed a thumb to his chest, a smug smirk in place. "Yeah, right! It's okay to be in awe of the new and improved Captain Usopp, I understand! You're so taken, you can barely manage to‒Ouch!! Let go of my hair!"

Twirling the dark, curly lock around your finger and fully ignoring him, he only shook his head and placed a hand on top of your crown, directing your offhand gaze to him. You huffed and averted your eyes again, only to have him do it once more. It was an old routine, repetitive like all the others, but all it succeeded in ever doing was annoying you. Of course, he knew this though.

"Stop ignoring me, chipmunk."

Softly, ignorant humming ensued; eyes focused to the ground. "Whatever do you mean, tucan?"

"Don't make me do it."

Quirking an eyebrow in interest, your gaze moved to his eyes for a moment, suddenly weary of that devious smile he wrote. Always so sure of his actions, this one. "Oh, please. I'm not ticklish anymore."

"That's not what I mean, and you know it." 

Now an honest look of confusion crossed your features. It took only a few moments for you to take in the situation, causing a stain of color to rise to your cheeks. Though he had set you back on your feet, there was still a hand pressed against the small of your back, putting the both of you still rather close in proximity. It was enough so that the warmth of his body could still be felt, if only a hairs breadth away from your own. With a flustered growl, you placed both hands on his chest and shook your head. If the widening of his smile was anything to go by, he was definitely going to do it.

_'Fuuuck. Goddamn, smug bastard! There's people around too, the son of a bitch! O-oh no!!'_

Squeaking in surprise, you were pulled closer until your chests were crushed together, the feeling of his lips against yours quickly following. His other hand and slipped to the back of your neck, keeping you in perfect place as every ounce of your usual sass was kissed away. Practically wiggling in his hold, the solidity of his form against yours was a clear _'You're not getting out of this one'_ , so you begrudgingly ceased and felt yourself relaxing into it. 

This had happened a few times in the past. Your fellow crew members were not ignorant to the lovable relationship you shared with Usopp, but you were a private person. However, he seemed to get a kick out of putting such affections on the spot occasionally, but only because you got so rattled over it. No, you were never ashamed to admit your feelings for the man‒minus when he's being an incredible dork‒ but it was just something you saw no need to showcase. Every time he did it though, you would freeze up and let it happen, embarrassed and somehow happy that he didn't mind such public displays.

Your fingers moved from the accessible plain off his chest, rather firm from whatever training he had done, and curled up towards the bushel of hair that had grown in that time apart. Feeling slightly victorious as he made a small grunt when you combed your fingers through it, you pressed a little deeper into the kiss; a rush of giggles bubbling in your throat. Maybe it was the two year span, maybe it was the faint tickle of his goatee against your chin, but you felt very giddy in that moment. Goodness knows that you missed him, but it felt like so much more than that; as if those feelings grew stronger from each passing day. It was like having an ache soothed, or a flare of pain cooled with ice.

Separating for a second, Usopp pressed his forehead to your own and laughed, hands cusping behind your back as you kept your fingers full of his hair. "Well, look who grew up. You used to turn into a tomato when I did that. Look more like a strawberry now."

You stuck out your tongue at him and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his cheek before whispering softly. "Guess you're gonna have to try a little harder next time, huh?"

The stammering that left his lips, coupled with the fierce blush, was more than enough to qualify as revenge for you. Bursting into laughter, you slapped him on the back and ran off towards the direction Nami was last. 

"Come on, Usopp! There's a crew waiting for us, and I'm not gonna be dead last waiting on your slow ass!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Well, I'm going home; back to the place where I belong, and where your love has always been enough for me. I'm not running from; no, I think you got me all wrong. I don't regret this life chose for me, but these places and these faces are getting old...So, I'm going home."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed doing this. It was a fun test of my skills, and I hope to sharpen them. To those that bother reading; Thank You! 
> 
> I know this wasn't jam packed full of Usopp/Reader, but I wanted to try and get her with a few other of the Straw Hats. I'll most likely do a longer one in the future, in which she interacts with all of them.

It had taken, naught but a bit of time before everyone showed up at the Thousand Sunny; all smiles and greetings after such a long time. You sat in the grass with a thoroughly exhausted Chopper in your lap, watching with quiet fascination as everyone interacted and caught up. It wouldn't be long before they had to take off though, and you were very thankful for that, especially with so little preparation to do beforehand. It was amazing that the ship was already coated when everyone arrived, but it did raise the curious question as to how Sunny was even still **here** ; not a scratch or dent in sight. Figuring that Franky might have an explanation for that later, you shrugged it off and yawned, flipping back onto the deck.

A gentle tap at your shoulder tossed you, looking down to see the reindeer looking up at you with concern. "Yes'm, Doc?"

"I was wondering...How'd your condition fair while we were apart? I know you didn't have any medicine in you when we separated, so I was worried it might've gotten worse with the stress." 

Shifting in the grass, your gaze fell upon your crew mates with a certain fondness, soft chuckles escaping your lips as Sanji struggled to hold onto his sanity as they began to pass by Boa Hancock's ship. The poor man looked nearly stone, but there was nothing to worry about. A little bit of overwhelming beauty wasn't going to kill him anytime soon. "At first, it was very difficult to deal with. Not because of the lack of medicine, but because I...I just couldn't seem to grasp the possibility of never seeing you guys again. My chest always felt so tight and breathing seemed to be fleeting at times; impossible even. There were some nights that I was sure that the ache was going to drive me insane, but you know what I started doing?"

He tilted his head, attention fully on you. "What?"

"I thought about our time together. I thought about how you always stole the last sweet roll when no one was looking, which is still amazing because Luffy was _always_ looking. How Zoro would threaten to slice me into sashimi if I tried to measure him in his sleep again; how Robin always gave Sanji a good slap for that creepy way he called me a rose bud. Jeez, and all the times I swung from Franky's arms like a monkey! The countless times Brook roped us all into singing Bink's Booze. I think the song is permanently carved in my brain now." 

Unknowingly, you cuddled the reindeer in your arms with a dopey grin, soft sniffles here and there. "I um...I remembered that time Luffy dangled me overboard because we both thought it'd be fun to try extreme yo-yoing. Pfft, I can't forget the savage bump on my head after Usopp hit me for going along with it. Also, I remembered Nami making me try on some of her clothes and braiding my hair a few times. I think, above all, just remembering all the fun and experiences we had...it really helped me out. It also got me out of my funk, because I knew that Sabaody wasn't the end for us as the Straw Hats."

Wiping your face, you looked down to see Chopper with giant, lipid tears rolling down his face, only to launch himself to your chest in a hug. Laughing, you squeezed him back and kissed his forehead sweetly, wiping his face with the hem of your shirt. "Come on, don't cry! We've got everyone back together and there's a slew of new adventures awaiting us, not to mention the New World!"

"R-right! Still, I wanna have a listen to your heart later, okay? No reason to get back together and then pass out on us!"

Shaking your head, you conceded and got to your feet, walking over to the railing to join the others; Chopper clamored onto your shoulder to get a better view. It was breathtaking, to say the least, but not for just the scenery, but the feeling off being back together with everyone again. Looking over at your captain's grinning face, even more ecstatic than the rest most likely, you nudged him with your hip playfully. "Oh, Luffy? We gotta try that yo-yo move in battle one day. I have a new technique with the scythe that's guaranteed to do more damage on land than water." 

"Really!? That'll be awesome! Can we try it now?"

You broke into laughter as Nami nailed him over the head, instantly berating him on the fact that the bubble was already inflating and that it would be a dumb idea. In the midst of your mirth, a familar warmth settled beside you. Turning, you stupidly waltzed into a surprise kiss by your cheeky sniper, face plunging a deeper shade of red as Franky gave a wolf whistle from behind about it. Huffing at the smile Usopp had the nerve to give, you just grumbled and nonchalantly tapped a pressure point in his neck, sending him to the ground in a motionless heap. With that, you went to join Brook as he casually strummed a few lines on his guitar, humming along as the Thousand Sunny descended into the sea.

Amongst the madness, it was good to be back home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We are Straw Hats. We will embarrass you because we love you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was just a short thingy I wanted to add.

You leaned over the railing with a mouthful of bubblegum, making casual snide remarks at Zoro about his change of clothes; at least until long arms enveloped your waist. With a surprised squeal, you wiggled around in what had to be Sanji's embrace. 

"Our precious, little rose bud has blossomed into a beautiful flower~! Sweet and soft as a handful of peta--Ugh!!"

And without further ado, Usopp landed a swift uppercut to the blonde's chin and began a colorful stream of words, warning the cook to keep his perversion to himself. You shook your head and sighed, turning to see Robin chuckling softly into her hand behind you. "It would seem that you're no longer safe from his whims. Let's just hope he doesn't lose anymore blood than necessary, hmm?" 

"I hope not. He may be an idiot, but I don't think he'd be too keen on kicking the bucket before we got to Fishman Island. Hmm? Oh, Soul Bones. What can I do you for?"

The skeletal figure coughed lightly and knelt down on one knee before you, taking your hand in his own tentatively. You arched an eyebrow in confusion, lips curled in a sweet smile. However, the rest of the crew were focused intently on the scene about to unfold, Franky even having had lifted his shades in disbelief.

"I was wondering if you could, perhaps...show me your panties?"

And all hell broke loose as a certain sniper proceeded to beat Brook into a pile of bones, your face a bright shade of red in pure embarrassment. Never had he even approached you with that trademark question of his, finding you far too innocent to even ask before. In the background, Luffy and Franky were in absolute hysterics while Chopper and Zoro were left to get Sanji's blood pumped back into him. Nami and Robin stood at your sides, further embarrassing you with comments of womanhood and growing up; leaving you with a great desire to be swallowed up by the sea.

Honestly. Does no one value _privacy_?

**Author's Note:**

> I swear, I'm going to finish something with chapters, and it's gonna be this.


End file.
